The Show
by DontStopBelieving4
Summary: Jace has just been drafted by the San Francisco Giants and wants Clary to go with him. She now has to face moving from the only home she's ever known to be with the man she loves. Follows Jace and Clary through his first year in the big leagues. AU/All human
1. Chapter 1

"With the first pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft," the commissioner said into the microphone at the podium, "the San Francisco Giants select Jace Lightwood from the University of San Diego."

I jumped out of my seat and wrapped my arms around my boyfriend of three years. "Oh my God," I screamed into his ear. He lifted me off the floor and swung me around. Everyone was slapping Jace on the back and congratulating him as I pressed my lips against his and tears began falling from my eyes. "You did it baby!"

He chuckled and set me down as someone came into the room to retrieve Jace. "Mr. Lightwood, you need to come accept your pick." Jace left the room with the man and we all sat in front of the screen to watch Jace on the stage. Jace's sister and my best friend, Isabelle, sat down next to me and put her around my shoulder.

"This is so amazing," she said.

"I know, he's worked so hard to get here." We watched Jace walk up to the podium to accept his draft pick from the Giants. Jace and I met in our freshman year at USD. We were sitting in our psychology class one day, when he asked me if I could tutor him. We spent lunch together everyday for three weeks before he asked me to go to dinner with him. I was expecting to go to some fancy restaurant, but he took me to Chipotle, my favorite place to eat, seriously I have a problem with how much Chipotle I eat. I was taken aback by this and almost fell in love with him instantly. He told me of his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player and I went to every single one of his home games. We would sit in my living room and watch game tape and he would constantly be swinging a bat. We moved in together last year when we moved off campus. One day, a few months ago, he came home and told me there was a major league scout coming to check him out. He said this year could be the year and it turned out it was. There were still a lot of decisions that needed to be made because I hadn't graduated yet, but at this point I didn't care. I was so amazingly proud of this man and I just wanted to be with him.

Jace came back in the room and his brother, Alec, shook his hand and congratulated him once more. "Let's go get some dinner," Jace announced. He came up to me and interlaced our fingers leading me towards the car. The limo the league provided us with was situated out front. Jace's family went toward their own car and were prepared to follow us to the restaurant. He helped me into the car and raised the divider. As soon as he sat down, my mouth was on his. He groaned and shifted me to straddle him.

"I'm so incredibly proud of you," I pulled away. He pulled me back into him and my hands went to his hair, tugging on his golden locks. He deepened our kiss and ran his hands all over my body. Gasping for air, he pulled away slightly.

"We need to talk about something," he said. "I want you to come to San Francisco with me. I'm going straight to The Show and my first game is next week and I want you to be in the stands."

"That's all I ever wanted, Jace. I would love to go with you, but what about school? I can't just drop out. I've dedicated three years to getting my degree in art history."

"I know, baby, but you can go back to school whenever you want or you can even transfer to a school in San Francisco. I just want you to be with me, right along side me while I take this journey. I want you to take this journey with me."

"When do we leave?" He smiled and crashed his lips to mine once more.

"Two days. We have to go home and get packed. I have a hotel set up and we'll have to start looking for an apartment." Jace kept listing all the things we needed to do and my head was spinning. Of course, I wanted to be with Jace, but I couldn't help but be a little scared. I was about to leave a life I had lived for three years and move to a new place where I didn't know anybody. However, I knew I needed to do this. I wasn't going to be happy if Jace was an eight-hour car ride away and I only saw him when he played in San Diego. Everything would get figured out, but the only thing I needed to figure out right this second was that I was going to be with Jace.

We pulled up to the restaurant and I suddenly didn't want to share Jace. "Do you think your family would be ridiculously angry if we went back to the hotel," I asked with my most innocent voice that I knew Jace would give in to. He smiled and nodded. "Good, because you are so getting laid tonight."

"I'll just go tell them you're not feeling well and we're going to call it a night."

o.0.O.0.o

We were lying in our bed in our hotel room. I was tracing light patterns on Jace's bare chest and listening to the sound of his heartbeat. His heart was racing and if he could feel mine, he would find that it was racing too. I found it hard to believe that, even after three years together, we could still have this effect on each other. I looked up into his eyes that shone like golden orbs.

"What are you thinking about," I whispered and he smirked.

"Marry me," he whispered into my hair. I sat up and pulled the sheets up to cover my bare chest.

"Come again."

"That's what she said."

"I'm serious, Jace. You can't just ask me to marry you in a hotel room after sex. How am I supposed to know that you're not just riding out a high?"

"Seriously, babe? I just asked you to move to San Francisco with me. What did you think was going to happen? Of course, I want to marry you. I've wanted to marry you since we were eighteen. My life changed drastically tonight and I couldn't be happier, but all of this, baseball, the show, means nothing if I can't spend the rest of my life with you. You are the most important thing in my life." He reached into the drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a small black box. Inside the box, a diamond ring sat staring up at me. "Clarissa Fray, will you marry me?"

He reached up to wipe the tears away from my cheeks. "We're still so young, Jace. What happens when you find some prettier girl on the road and you change your mind. I know how athletes are, Jace. I don't think I could recover from that." He looked hurt, like I had just accused him of killing my dog.

"Baby, look at me. You are the only person I want to be with, now and forever. You are my always. You are my person. You are my lobster." I laughed at his _Friends_ reference. "I want you in the stands at every game. I want you standing next to me at every press conference. I want you to have my babies. I want to sit next to you in a rocking chair on the porch when we're eighty. I want you and no one else for the rest of my life."

I couldn't form words. He had just said everything I ever felt. The truth was, I was worried that he would start living this life and realize I didn't fit in it, but I wasn't going to let that happen. Right now, in this moment, all I want is Jace. We can figure everything else out later. "Yes."

He slipped the ring on my finger and crashed his lips to mine. "I love you so much, babe. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you too." I snuggled into his chest and admired the ring he had just put on my finger. "This ring is beautiful, Jace."

"I knew you would like it. It was my mother's, well my birth mother's."

"You never talk about her. How old were you when she died?" I knew the answer to that question, but I wanted him to open up to me.

"Eleven. Maryse was her best friend and she promised her before she died that she would take care of me. She was so small by the end. The cancer had taken all of the fight out of the strongest woman I had ever known. She would have loved you." He kissed the top of my head.

"I wish I could have met her. I want to tell her how much you mean to me and what a great job she did raising you."

"Oh, that reminds me, we need to go see your parents before we leave. Have you talked to them at all today?"

"No, I turned my phone off after we got back." He chuckled and I could feel the vibrations through his chest. "We can go see them tomorrow night. Did you ask them for permission to marry me?"

"Of course, I did. Your mom was a little hesitant, but Luke was completely on board." My stepfather, Luke had always liked Jace, but my mother never was completely sure of what to make of him. "Did you plan on proposing tonight?"

"No, I planned on proposing to you on the field after my first game, but I couldn't help myself. I just wanted to know if you would spend the rest of your life with me."

"You're pretty adorable, do you know that?"

"Well obviously, have you met me?"

"Don't get all cocky, Jace Lightwood, center fielder for the San Francisco Giants. It's not a done deal yet." I teased and he dug his fingers in my ribs tickling me. "No, Jace! Stop!" He wouldn't relent until I turned around and crashed my lips into his. I straddled him and continued my assault on his mouth running my hands through his hair and down his back. Just when he thought we were going to go for round tow, I rolled off of him and fell to the mattress closing my eyes to welcome sleep.

"That was not fair," Jace said gasping for air.

"Well, you better get used to it, because you're never getting rid of me." He rolled to face me and seared into me with his golden eyes.

"I don't want to ever get rid of you."

* * *

_A/N: So there's the first chapter. I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think. Should I continue this story? Please give me some feed back!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or any of its characters.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Babe, don't worry," I tried to reassure Jace. "My mom doesn't hate you. She just thinks that we're too young to settle down, which makes no sense because she was younger than me when she married my dad. Oh, wait, I guess it makes sense. Sorry, I'm rambling. Am I rambling?"

Jace's finger shot up to my lips to silence me. "Yes, you're rambling and you're making me feel any better."

"Sorry," I mumbled against his finger and nipped at it. "I'm just really nervous. They know you were going to ask me to marry you, so that shouldn't be a surprise, but now I have to tell them I'm moving to San Francisco. That's not a small move and I've never been more than twenty minutes away from them. It's just going to be different."

"Don't worry," the roles had reversed. Now he was trying to comfort me. "The season is only six months and we'll be down here for holidays. You will see your parents plenty."

"Okay, you're right. Sorry for freaking out."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't freak out." I giggled and turned toward the door to my parents' house and rang the doorbell. "Here goes nothing."

My mom opened the door and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Hi, Clary. I'm so glad you are here." To my surprise, when she let go, she pulled Jace in for the same embrace she had just given me. I had no idea why she was so happy. "We are so very proud of you, Jace."

That was it. She thought Jace was moving to San Francisco without me and we would eventually break up.

_Oh, she's going to love this._

We followed her into the kitchen where Luke was busy cooking my favorite meal, homemade macaroni and cheese. I gave him a big hug as he kissed the top of my head and Jace shook his hand. When I let him go, I turned to my mother.

"Mom," I said, "we have something to tell you. Maybe we should all sit down."

"The mac and cheese just needs to bake for a few minutes," Luke announced. "Let's wait until we get some food in our systems." He winked at me. He was right, we should wait until Mom had some food, so she wouldn't be so grumpy. "So, Jace, when do you leave? I'm so excited I get to tell my friends I know the new center fielder for the Giants. I've been a Giants fan my whole life, you know? I grew up in San Francisco."

"Really, I didn't know that," Jace replied politely. "You'll have to tell me of some things to do up there, not that I'll have much downtime. To answer your question, I leave the day after tomorrow and my first game is this weekend. I don't think I'll be starting just yet, but just being in the dugout will be a dream come true."

Luke nodded along with Jace's words and stuck his head in the oven. "Alright, dinner is served. Let's all take a seat at the table, please."

We headed toward the small square table and I sat down next to Jace. He reached under the table and gave my knee a tight squeeze. I looked at him and saw all the love he had for me in his eyes. After Luke sat down and we began eating, Jace cleared his throat.

"Like Clary said earlier, we have something to tell you," he began. I didn't realize he was going to take the lead, but I was happy to let him do it. "First off, I want to tell you how much I love you daughter. We've been together three years now and I couldn't imagine my life without her. With that being said, I asked her to marry me last night and she said yes." My mother looked at my finger for the first time and gasped. Before she could say anything, he continued. "I know I already asked for your permission, so that shouldn't come as quite a surprise, but I wanted to let you know that she will be moving to San Francisco with me in two days. This is what we both want and we would appreciate your support."

I nodded in agreement and let the news sink in. Luke reached across the table and squeezed my hand smiling at me. "I think this is great news, Clary. You two are great together and I think this is a wonderful opportunity for the both of you."

"Thanks, Luke," I said with tears stinging my eyes. He was always more of a father to me than my actual father who ran out on my mom before I was even born. He shook Jace's hand and welcomed him to the family.

"What about school, Clary," Mom finally asked. "You've worked so hard to get to where you are and you're just going to throw it away on some boy?"

"He's not just some boy, Mom. I love him more than I possibly could have imagined and this isn't just his dream, it's mine too. If you can't accept that, that's fine, but I won't be swayed by any of your arguments."

She was in shock. I never talked back to her like that, but I was an adult, dammit. I was twenty-one years old and I could make my own decisions. This was what I wanted and nothing would change that.

"I can't talk to you when you're acting like this."

"Oh, give me a break, Mom. I don't know what your problem with Jace is, but he's nothing like my father. He's not going to leave me at the first sign of hardship and he will be there for me through thick and thin and I will be there for him."

At the mention of my father, she turned and walked into her bedroom slamming the door. I let out a long sigh and Jace squeezed my hand pulling me into him.

"Don't worry, honey," Luke said from across the table. "She'll come around. She just needs some time." He came to hug me. "I guess this is goodbye for a little while."

I cried as he pulled me into a warm embrace. "I don't want her to be mad at me. I just want her to understand me. Why can't she understand that this is real and it's what I want?"

"I think she does understand, but she doesn't want you to get hurt because Valentine was what she wanted and we all know how that turned out."

"Okay, will you tell her that I will miss her and I love her?"

"Of course, baby girl. Now you two should get home and get packing. I love you, sweetheart."

Jace moved to shake Luke's hand once more. "Thank you for everything, Luke, and I don't just mean dinner."

"Be good to her, Jace."

"That is something you never have to worry about, sir."

We left my parents' house and sat in the car for about ten minutes before Jace spoke.

"Do you want to make it two for two and go tell my family?"

I shrugged. "Might as well. At least, I think your family likes me."

"Baby, they love you. Plus, you know you'll always have Isabelle on your side."

"Okay, you're right. Let's go."

I turned the radio up for our twenty-minute drive across town to Jace's parents' house. Isabelle and Alec were over for Sunday night dinner and I could see Alec's boyfriend, Magnus', car parked in the driveway.

We didn't even knock on the door and walked straight in. Jace's younger brother, Max, came barreling down the hall and jumped into Jace's arms. Max was only ten and completely idolized Jace.

"Jace," he yelled as Jace caught him. "Hi, Clary! Did you know that Jace is going to play baseball on TV?"

"Hi, Max," I greeted him. "I did know that. How are you?"

"I'm really excited I'll be able to watch Jace play baseball on TV. He's really good and I want to be just as good one day."

"I'm sure you will be, buddy," Jace assured him. "Just remember you have to practice really hard and listen to your coaches." Max nodded looking like he was talking to Hank Aaron himself. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"They're in the kitchen cooking dinner."

We walked toward the kitchen and were bombarded with hugs and kisses the second we entered.

"Hi, Mom," Jace greeted Maryse.

"Hi, honey," she replied. "Oh, I'm so glad you two could make it."

"Yeah, can we actually get everyone in here? We have some things we need to tell you."

Isabelle came up behind my and smacked my ass. "Hey, girly. I didn't think you guys were coming."

"Yeah, we came from my parents'. I was in desperate need of some fun family time."

"Well, I'm glad you're here."

Alec and Magnus came into the kitchen and stood next to Isabelle. Everyone was waiting and ready to hear what we were going to say.

"Okay, now that you're all here," Jace began once more, "we have something to tell you. Last night, I asked Clary to marry me and she said yes." He raised my hand to show off the ring. His announcement was met with complete silence for what felt like years.

"You're pregnant," Isabelle shouted and pointed at me.

"What," I was truly shocked. "No, Isabelle. I'm not pregnant, I promise."

"Oh, okay. I believe you."

"I think it's about freaking time," Alec sounded off from beside Izzy. "You guys have been together for years. I was beginning to think Jace didn't have the balls to pop the question."

"Well, I did and we're getting married," Jace said matter-of-factly. "We would really like your guys' support because Clary is also moving to San Francisco with me."

"You're talking my best friend away from me," Izzy yelled at Jace.

"Don't worry, Iz," I tried to calm her down. "We will talk everyday and you can come visit us and, when Jace plays in San Diego, I'll come visit you. Everything will be alright."

She sniffed and buried her face into my neck as we wrapped our arms around each other.

"Well, you have my support," Maryse said from the stove. "I have always thought you two were great together and you make each other better people. I couldn't dream up a better woman for my son if I tried."

I walked over to Maryse and pulled her into my arms. "You have no idea how much that means to me," I said choking back tears.

"Yay," Max said still in Jace's arms, "Clary is going to be my sister!"

We all had a good laugh at that one. After we all ate dinner and said our goodbyes, Jace and I headed home to finish packing. I sat on our bed watching him tape up a box of clothes.

"I'm going to miss this place," I whispered from my perch on the bed. "There are a lot of memories wrapped up in this little apartment and this town." Jace stood in front of me and cupped my face in his large hands. "Are you scared, Jace?"

"I'm terrified," he whispered into my hair. "I'm not stupid. I know that this whole thing can be taken away in an instant. I can get hurt and never play again. I could suddenly be terrible and not be able to get a contract. This whole thing is so hit or miss and I have to hit. This is my dream and I don't want to blow it, not only for me, but for you. You are giving up so much to do this with me and I don't want to let you down."

I looked up into his eyes. "You could never let me down, Jace Lightwood. Baseball could cease to exist tomorrow and I would be okay as long as you still loved me."

"I will never stop loving you, ever. I promise you will never become second to baseball. You will always be my number one."

"You say the sweetest things to me. Want to get married?"

He chuckled and fell onto the bed with me.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you are enjoying the story so far. In the next chapter, they will make the big move and Jace will have his first game, oh and there will be a big announcement from Izzy. Until next time! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you think," Jace asked me gesturing to the apartment we had just walked through. We had been in San Francisco for two days and Jace wanted to find an apartment before his first game tomorrow, so he didn't have to come home to a hotel room.

"I think this is the one, babe," I smiled up at him as I wrapped my arms around his waist and he kissed my forehead.

"Ok, great." He turned to Tessa, our realtor. "When can we move in?"

"Once you sign the papers, you can move in immediately," she said with a smile.

We rushed to the front office to sign our rent agreement and put down our security deposit. Jace had to run to practice, but told me he would have movers move our boxes from the hotel to the apartment. I would stay behind and start unpacking.

Later that night, I was busy unpacking the kitchen when Jace got home from practice.

"Hey, babe," I said when he walked in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. "How was practice?"

"Kicked my ass," he said. "I could use a shower and maybe a massage."

"Well, why don't you go take a shower and I'll get dinner ready. Then, maybe I'll give you a massage." He chuckled and kissed my cheek. As he walked toward the bathroom, I dug through the groceries to try and find something to make a meal. I found some pasta and decided I would make pesto pasta and chicken with roasted asparagus on the side.

After about thirty minutes, I had the table set and a candle lit in the center as Jace came back from his shower. He was wearing jeans and a tight fitting Giants t-shirt.

"I see you're already supporting your team," I quipped lightly smacking his chest with my dishtowel.

"Of course," he said with his signature smirk. "By the way, I got you some gear to wear to the games. There's a few t-shirts, a couple sweatshirts and scarves because it gets pretty cold at night by the bay."

"That's so sweet." We moved to sit at the table and eat. After a few moments of silence, I broke it excited to hear about his day. "So, are you excited for the game tomorrow?"

"I'm more nervous than excited." He looked up at me and smiled. "I know I probably won't get much playing time, at least tomorrow, but I'm just really excited to be here. I have worked my entire life to get to this point and to have you in the stands cheering me on means the world."

I could feel my cheeks blush. "Have I told you how extremely proud of you I am?"

"Not in the last twelve hours."

"Well, I am. Oh, speaking of me being in the stands, where am I going to sit tomorrow?"

"There's a section blocked off for wives and, being my fiancé, you qualify." I nodded and blushed at him calling me his fiancé. I hadn't quite gotten used to it yet, along with the ing on my finger, but it was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to hear. "Oh, that reminds me. Before the game, they're having a luncheon to welcome me to the team and officially present me with my jersey number. It starts at noon and I want you there with me."

"Of course, I'll be there. You don't even have to ask." I stood from the table and took our now empty plates into the kitchen. As I rinsed off the plates and put them in the dishwasher, Jace stood and blew out the candle. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist resting his head on my shoulder and kissed it.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" I nodded leaning back into him. "What do you want to watch?"

"Hmmmm, _Remember the Titans_?" He chuckled and dipped his head to kiss my neck.

"Why do you always want to watch that movie? Why can't we watch a nice baseball movie?" I turned so I was facing him and lifted my arms to rest on his shoulders.

"As much as I love baseball, there just aren't that many good baseball movies. _Remember the Titans_ is just a classic."

"Are you kidding me? No good baseball movies. What about _The Sandlot_ or _Angels in the Outfield_? What about _Trouble With the Curve_?"

"Okay, okay, you're right. We can watch whatever you want, baby." I reached up to plant a kiss on his lips and left the kitchen to go sit on the couch with Jace following close behind. He popped a movie in the DVD player and came to join me as I snuggled up against him. The menu came on the screen and sure enough, we were going to watch _Remember the Titans_. "You really do love me, don't you?"

He smiled down at me and kissed my forehead. "I love you more than you could ever know, but next time we're watching _Trouble With the Curve_."

I laughed and curled into Jace watching the movie. When the movie was over and I had thoroughly cried my eyes out, my phone lit up on the table. I reached down to grab it and see who it was.

"It's your sister."

"Well, you better answer it because you know if you don't she's just going to keep calling."

I swiped across the screen to answer the call. "Hey, Iz."

"Clary," she screamed into my ear and I had to pull the phone away for a second. "Is Jace with you?"

"Yeah, he's right here. Do you want to talk to him?"

"I actually want to talk to both of you. Put me on speaker." I pressed a button and then set the phone back down on the table.

"Okay, Iz, you're on speaker."

"Hi, Jace."

"Hey, sis," he said looking down at the phone.

"How was practice?"

"It was great, Iz. Now, will you please tell us why you called at eleven o'clock the night before my first game?"

"Oh, right sorry." There was a pause. "How would you guys feel if I transferred to a school up there?"

"That would be great, Iz, but what school would you go to," I asked quickly.

"There's this school up there called FIDM. It's the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. You know that I've always wanted to design clothes and this is one of the best places to do it, so I was thinking of transferring there and then I would be closer to you guys."

"Isabelle, please don't do this just to be closer to us," Jace chided. "You need to be absolutely sure this is what you want to do. You've already spent three years at USD and I don't want to see that all go to waste."

"Thank you for your concern, but this has been on my mind since the day I started school. I have always had a love for fashion and the fashion world. I can't get into that world by going to USD. I want to chase my dreams just like you did."

There was a silence that stretched over a few minutes while Jace and I had one of our silent conversations.

"Where are you going to live, Iz?"

"Well, I figured I could stay with you guys until I found somewhere else. I promise I won't be there long."

Jace's head snapped up and he looked at me knowing I couldn't say no to my best friend. "No, no, no, no. Clary, we're getting married. We can't have my little sister living with us."

"It's just for a little while, until she gets on her feet. Come on, babe. Aren't you supposed to help out your family?" Jace dropped his head into his hands.

"Ugh, fine Isabelle, but if you're here for more than a few months, I'm kicking you out on your ass."

She squealed into the phone. "Thank you so much, Jace. I promise I won't let you down!"

"Alright, when will you be here?"

"It's funny you should ask, actually because I'm right outside." I jumped up from my seat on the couch and ran downstairs to meet my best friend with a hug. We squealed and jumped up and down. I led her upstairs to where her brother was waiting to likely lecture her on taking the eight-hour drive without him knowing. When we entered the apartment, however, Jace just pulled Isabelle into a tight embrace and told her he had missed her. Before we moved, Jace saw his sister every day and I could tell that even in the past few days, he was beginning to miss her.

"Does this mean you're coming to the game tomorrow," he asked pulling away from her.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied with what looked like pride in her eyes.

"Okay, then you're coming to the luncheon, too. Let's all get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

I showed Izzy to her room and then followed Jace into our own bedroom. Lying in bed with Jace felt so natural, like it was where I was meant to be.

"Goodnight, my angel," he whispered into my hair as I feel asleep.

o.0.O.0.o

"We are proud to welcome Jace Lightwood to our roster," Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, said into the microphone as he shook Jace's hand. "Please, join me in welcoming number thirty-two to the Giants clubhouse."

There was a round of applause as Jace received his jersey from his manager and smiled for pictures. Isabelle and I were sitting at our table admiring Jace. Well, at least I was admiring Jace. Isabelle was admiring a whole lot more than Jace. I couldn't help but look around at his teammates and admire them too. I saw Buster Posey, whom I have admired since he set foot on the field, and couldn't help but be a little star struck.

"Why thirty-two," Isabelle asked me of Jace's jersey number and I blushed knowing the meaning behind the number.

"That's the first time he kissed me, March 2, 2011," I explained.

"Well, isn't that the sweetest thing I've ever heard?" She laughed as Jace walked toward the table with another player next to him.

"Hey guys," he said when they reached the table, "this is Simon. He's a reliever on the team. This is my sister, Isabelle and my fiancé, Clary."

Simon completely ignored me and went straight for Isabelle's hand. I saw her do something she never does, blush. Jace and I looked at each other in awe. Simon was good looking with his shaggy brown hair that probably stuck out of his baseball hat. He was a few inches shorter than Jace, but that still made him taller than Isabelle. He had the darkest brown eyes I had ever seen and they were obviously making her swoon.

"It's nice to meet you, Simon," she said, her cheeks still flushed with color. They then fell into comfortable conversation as Jace took my hand under the table and began playing with my fingers.

He leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I wish we were home right now. Then I could lay in bed with you for as long as I wanted."

"Oh, don't worry," I whispered back. "I'm sure you'll be getting plenty lucky tonight after the game, that is, if you're not too tired."

"Baby, I'm never too tired for you." He dipped his face to meet mine and our lips met quickly, before Jace was being pulled in the other direction by Hunter Pence, right fielder. "I'll see you after the game. Wait for me."

"Always," I yelled back.

Isabelle returned to my side as Simon left with Jace and the others. "I think I'm in love," she said bluntly and I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips.

"Iz, you just met him."

"I don't care. There's something about him that I just can't put my finger on, but I want to get to know him and not in the way I normally want to get to know a guy. I mean I want to know where he grew up and what his childhood was like. I want to know him."

"Wow, I don't think I've ever heard you talk about a guy like that before. You must really like him."

"He asked me to go out with him after the game. Do you think I should go?"

"You should do whatever you think is going to make you happy. I know not having you in the apartment tonight would make me happy." I waggled my eyebrows.

"You are disgusting. That's my brother you're talking about, but I think I'm going to go. I've only just met him, but I can tell he's not like other guys."

"Okay, sounds good. Looks like we have a couple of hours to kill before the game starts. What do you want to do?"

"I think we should go home and change into some more appropriate game attire."

We left the clubhouse and headed back toward the apartment. I could feel in my heart that tonight was going to be a good night. Jace had his first game on a major league team and Izzy just may have found the man of her dreams. Our lives were seeming to fall into place little by little.

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_A/N: Thanks for reading and thank you to all of those who have favorited/followed, it really means a lot to me! I hope you're all enjoying the story and feel free to leave me a review and tell me what you think! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Just an FYI, I am moving the rating to T because I don't think anything will get too crazy in this story, which I've realized as I'm writing it. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed/favorited this story! Anyways, let's get to the story!_**

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I could hear the names of the starters being called over the loud speaker. Most of the names I recognized, but my heart stopped when one name in particular was called.

"Starting in center field, in his first major league game, Jace Lightwood," the announcer said. I saw Jace jog out to his position and stop to wave up at me. I was in complete shock and was completely sure he wasn't supposed to start tonight.

"Did you know he was starting," Isabelle asking shaking my arm. I shook my head.

"No," I said breathless. "He told me there was no chance of him even playing tonight." I was finally able to catch my breath as we rose for the National Anthem. He was actually playing; no, he was starting. He looked so good out there, like he belonged. When the anthem finished, he turned back around and caught my eye winking at me.

The first ball that was hit by the opposing team was hit straight to Jace and he made the catch easily. I was on the edge of my seat and every time the ball was hit even remotely close to center field my heart stopped. After three outs and no runs scored, the Giants returned to the dugout to prepare to bat. Jace was batting seventh in the lineup and was up to bat with two outs and two runners on base. The first pitch went past him and was called a strike.

_Oh, God. Please don't let his first at bat be a strikeout._

The second pitch was high on the outside and called a ball. Jace took a deep breath, stepped outside the batter's box and took a practice swing. When he stepped back in and squared up, the pitcher pitched the ball to the outside corner and Jace swung and missed.

_Oh, no. _

Two more pitches flew past and the count was now full. I could see Jace take a deep breath and prepare himself for the next pitch. He swung and hit the ball foul saving him for one more pitch.

"Wow, they're really making him work for it," Isabelle commented.

"It's making me really nervous," I said. Jace stepped out of the batter's box once more and I could tell he was psyching himself out. I saw him searching the crowd and when his eyes met mine, he smiled and I gave him a reassuring nod, a smile and mouthed, "I love you." Once more, he squared up in the box and turned his head toward the pitcher's mound. One pitch. One swing.

The ball flew through the air and my heart stopped momentarily hoping that no one caught it. Jace rounded first base, keeping his eye on the ball and when it passed the wall and dropped into McCovey Cove, he pumped his fist and followed the rest of the runners to home plate.

When he touched home plate he looked back up to me and I blew him a kiss. My heart was racing.

"I can't believe he hit a home run in his first at bat! This is amazing!" The stadium was in a roar as Jace increased the Giants' lead by three runs.

"That is my brother, ladies and gentlemen," Izzy threw her arms up and proclaimed to the crowd. I laughed at my best friend knowing she would make it known that Jace was her brother one way or another.

The game continued that way for the rest of the nine innings. When it came to the top of the ninth, the Giants just needed to get the three outs to end the game. With two outs and no one on base, Simon tossed a pitch toward home plate. The batter swung and hit the ball toward the gap between Jace and Hunter Pence. They were both running full speed to try and catch the ball. It looked like neither one of them were going to make it when Jace dove at the last minute to snag the ball and keep it from touching the grass in a beautiful catch. The stadium erupted into thunderous applause as the team jogged toward the pitcher's mound to celebrate.

"How long do we have to wait to see him," Isabelle asked craning her neck to look for Jace and possibly her new crush, Simon.

"I think they should be letting us down on the field in a moment," I explained. "Then we just have to wait for him to come out of the locker room."

About half an hour later, Izzy and I were standing on the field, shivering, waiting for Jace.

"Hey, shorty. Think fast." I turned and saw Jace coming up to me and he tossed me a baseball. I caught it just as he reached me. The baseball had his name, number, who they played, the score and one more thing written on it, "Will you marry me?" I looked at him confused. "That was how I was actually planning to propose."

I rose up to kiss him. "So can I tell our kids this story instead?" He chuckled and nodded dipping his head to kiss me again. We stood there for a few minutes before a chill rushed through my body and I realized it was time to go.

"Jace," Isabelle ran into his arms and he lifted her off the ground. "That was so amazing. I can't believe that catch! You're like the hero of the game!"

"I wouldn't go that far." He set her down. "We were up by four runs with no one on, but feel free to keep calling me a hero."

He interlaced our fingers and started leading us out of the stadium. A few of his teammates came up to him to congratulate him and introduce themselves to Izzy and me. Simon met us in the parking lot and Isabelle's face immediately lit up.

"Hey, Isabelle," he greeted only looking at her. "Oh, hey Clary."

"Hi, Simon," I said noticing that he barely noticed I was there and decided to help Jace load his bag in the truck.

"What's going on with them," he asked.

"Your sister is in love," I giggled at the ridiculousness. Jace scoffed and turned to me running his hands up and down my arms to create some friction and warmth. Isabelle came around to our side of the truck with Simon following close behind.

"So, I'm going to go out with Simon and some of the other guys," she explained, not making eye contact with Jace. "Don't wait up."

Jace went to make a comment, but I stopped him giving him a glare that said to let his sister have some fun.

"Alright, but please call us if you need anything," he told his sister.

"Don't worry, big brother. I'll be fine." She reached out to hug him. "Great game, I'm really proud of you." With that, she and Simon turned towards his car. Jace placed an arm around my shoulder and pressed his lips to my temple.

"Let's go home."

o.0.O.0.o

I was sitting on the couch and it had to be past midnight. Sports Center was on the TV and Jace was in the kitchen getting us some ice cream. The announcer switched segments to one where they count down the top ten plays from all sports that day. Jace sat back down and handed me my ice cream wrapping an arm around my shoulder. When the countdown got to number four on the list, I heard the announcer say the play was from the game we were just at. My heart started racing.

"In his first major league game, Jace Lightwood made and amazing diving catch to end the game in the top of the ninth. We'll have more on him later in the hour."

I grabbed the remote and rewound the show about thirty seconds to make sure I was hearing correctly. I was and I looked at Jace who had the biggest smirk on his face.

"Did you know about this," I asked pointing to the TV. He nodded and I smacked his chest. "First, you don't tell me you're starting, which I'm still mad about, by the way, and then, you don't tell me that Sports Center is going to include you in the top ten and do a story. Do you tell me anything?" He just continued smiling at me. "What? What is so funny, Jace Lightwood?"

"You. You're cute when you're flustered and that's partly why I do things like this, but I really just wanted you to be surprised tonight. I didn't want to take any of the thrill away from tonight."

"You could have told me so I could prepare myself a little better. I was a nervous wreck out there today. I almost had a heart attack every time a ball was hit even remotely close to you and every time you swung the bat. Oh, and when did you find out about the whole Sports Center thing?"

"They interviewed me after the game, in the locker room. I thought it would be fun to watch your face when you saw me on the TV."

"You are one sneaky son of a bitch, Jace Lightwood." He laughed and pulled me into him again.

Ten minutes later, I saw Jace's picture in the corner of the screen and listened to what the reporter had to say.

"One of the most impressive performances tonight, was one by Jace Lightwood, who joined the San Francisco Giants this week. In his first major league game, he had three hits and one home run. The center fielder had a stellar performance in the outfield as well, snagging almost every ball that was hit in his direction. He had one of the most remarkable plays of the night, making an unbelievable diving catch to end the game. We caught up with Lightwood after his extraordinary entrance into the major league." The screen cut away to Jace in the locker room with a microphone in his face and a different reporter was asking him questions.

"That was a pretty impressive performance tonight," the new reporter observed, "How does it feel?"

"Honestly," Jace raised his eyebrows, "Like a dream come true. I never wanted anything more than being in the big leagues and to have my game so on point as it was tonight and my newfound team behind me reminded me of why I love this game so much."

"Speaking of your team, has there been any hazing or initiation taking place?"

"Um, you know, just the typical new guy stuff, but these guys are all amazing not only as players, but as people and they're players that I've looked up to. I followed their amazing season in 2012 and loved their story. This team isn't like other teams, I've noticed, every guy out there plays for the guy standing next to them. We really are a family."

"Nice, I noticed your first at bat had a little bit of a rocky start and then you came back to hit a home run. What did you do in that situation to reign in your emotions and nerves?"

"I did what I always do. Whenever I'm nervous, I look up into the stands and find my fiancé and without even knowing it, she calms me. I found her in the stands smiling at me and it gave me the drive to swing the bat as hard as I could at the right time."

"Well, that's amazing. Hey, congratulations on a great game and I know we'll be talking again soon." Jace shook his hand and smiled. The screen cut again to the newsroom and Jace turned the volume down.

He looked over at me and noticed the tears in my eyes wiping them away.

"Clary, I meant every word I said. You make me want to be a better player. You remind me why I love baseball, not because I'm good at it, but because I have fun making you proud. I love you, baby."

"I can't believe you talking about me on TV and didn't say my name." He chuckled and kissed me."Oh, and I love you, too. You were so amazing tonight and I couldn't be more proud."

I snuggled into his chest and before long I was drifting off to sleep in Jace's arms.

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_A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I really enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think in a review! :)_

_Oh, and for those of you who don't know what McCovey Cove is, it's this little cove just on the other side of the right field wall at AT&T Park. This park is one of the hardest parks in the MLB to hit a home run out of, so when someone hits a ball into the cove, it's a big deal. _

_Once again, tank you so much for reading! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow so it has been way too long since I last posted and I'm so sorry. I thought that being away fro school would mean I would write more, but I was obviously mistaken. It always seems that inspiration strikes at the worst times, like at one o'clock in the morning when I have class the next morning. Anyways, i'm hoping to get back to regular posts now! I hope you enjoy this chapter and those to come!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or any of its characters.**

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The front door creaked open and I could tell Isabelle was trying to sneak in without us noticing. I was making Jace breakfast before he had to leave for a week for away games. Izzy walked into the kitchen in the same clothes she wore to the game and her shoes in her hand.

"Shit," she started. "Clary, I thought you would still be asleep."

"Jace had to be up early so he could be ready to leave," I explained. "You better go make it look like you stayed here last night before Jace gets out of the shower."

"He hasn't noticed yet?"

"No, I distracted him earlier and he's been a nervous wreck all morning about his first road trip." She laughed.

"Okay, first of all, I don't even want to know how you distracted him and second, thank you." She came up and hugged me.

"You're welcome. Now go get showered and changed because I want to hear all about it." Izzy giggled as she rushed down the hallway to go to her room.

Just as she shut the door to her bedroom, Jace came walking into the kitchen.

"Ooh, is this for me," he asked picking at the French toast I had just made him. I laughed and swatted his hand away before giving in and nodding my head yes. He took the plate to the small table and sat down to eat. I came up behind him and started to rub his shoulders and back.

"Are you nervous," I asked while he ate.

"A little. I mean, I'm really happy that I had such a great first game, but now all eyes are going to be on me to make sure it wasn't a fluke. I'll probably have to play better these next few games than I did last night to prove myself."

"Babe, you know better than anyone that baseball is a touchy sport. You could have the game of your life one night and then go 0 for 5 in the next. Baseball isn't like other sports where there might be one game a week. You will consistently have four or five games a week for six months and you're going to have some games that are better than the others."

"I love when you talk baseball to me." He chuckled and pulled me around to sit on his lap. I ran my fingers through his hair as his golden eyes stared straight into my soul.

"I learned from the best." I leaned in to kiss him. "I'm going to miss you." Another kiss. "Don't go out and find someone who you would rather marry. I kind of like you."

He laughed against my lips as he said, "Yeah, I kind of like you, too." He leaned in for another kiss as Izzy walked into the room.

"Oh my God. Please stop before I get sick," she shouted. I tried to get off of Jace, but his grip on my waist tightened.

"You are the one who wanted to live here so you better get used to it." He finally let me go as Izzy sat down at the table. "So, what are my two favorite girls going to do while I'm gone this week?"

"Well," I began, "I'm going to watch your games on TV and during the day, I'm going to try to find a place for us to get married. Oh, that reminds me, we really need to set a date. This past week has been crazy, but I have nothing to fill my days with other than planning this wedding so I would really like to start."

"How about you find a place you want to marry me and we can discuss a date when I get back."

"You don't care where we get married?"

"Clary, I could marry you in the middle of the street and I wouldn't care as long as you were there."

"You say the sweetest things to me, Jace Lightwood."

"I'm probably just going to veg out on the couch since Simon won't be here," Izzy said.

"Speaking of which," I turned to face her, "What did you two do last night?"

"We just went out with some of the guys. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but he did ask me out when the team gets back." She had a look in her eye that I had never seen from her, a look that I saw in my eyes every day. Isabelle was falling in love with Simon.

"And?"

"And I told him I would call him and let him know."

"Okay, can we please stop talking about your love life," Jace said as he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I have to leave in a few minutes."

I turned around to face him. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, baby."

I leaned in to kiss him and before I knew it, he had pulled away and was out the door.

o.0.O.0.o

The next night, Isabelle and I sat on the couch with an array of snacks on the coffee table, ready to watch Jace play in his first away game. They were playing in San Diego and I quickly noticed that he had a lot of people who showed up solely to watch him play. When the announcer introduced him with the mention of USD, the crowd erupted. I was feeling hopeful that this game would be just as good as the first one.

When the game ended, the Giants lost by one run. Jace didn't have the greatest outing, but I knew how the game of baseball worked. He was probably overwhelmed by his welcoming in San Diego and by this being his first game on the road.

The next three nights followed in similar fashion, with Izzy and I watching the games on TV. During the day, we would search for places to get married. I finally settled on a place that took my breath away and was two hours outside the city. I couldn't wait to tell Jace.

The Giants lost all four of their away games and Jace was due home any minute. Jace hadn't had the best week and I knew he wasn't going to be happy when he came home. I had stopped watching the post-game reports after the second game because I couldn't handle listening to the reporters say that Jace's first game was a fluke or that he would be replaced in no time if he kept this up. I hated to admit it, but I was scared. I was afraid that Jace had lost his touch and that his career would end before it began. I felt terrible for the thirty seconds that the thought crossed my mind. I knew he would bounce back. He would take these losses as fuel to make him better.

"I'm going to the stadium to meet Simon," Isabelle said as she walked into the kitchen. I was busy cooking Jace's favorite dinner and making sure everything was ready for him when he came home.

"Okay," I said without looking up from the stove.

"Don't worry, Clary. He's going to be mad, but you know Jace would never take it out on you."

"I know, but he's never had a losing streak this long before. I'm just worried he's doubting himself or thinking he's lost it or something. I just want him to be happy doing what he does best."

"Alright, well everything is going to be okay. He's only been in the majors for a week and that is nothing in relation to the length of the season. I'll probably be back tomorrow morning, cover for me with Jace." She hugged me goodbye and turned to leave.

About fifteen minutes after Isabelle left, Jace walked in the door. He threw his bag on the floor by the door and walked right past me into the bedroom. So, he was definitely mad. I tried to stay focused on the meal I was making and hoping he would come around. When he didn't come back into the kitchen, I decided to go to him.

I opened the door slowly and saw Jace lying on the bed with one arm thrown over his face. I slid down next to him and placed a hand on his chest.

"Jace," I whispered. "Honey, talk to me." He shot up, almost knocking me off the bed.

"I can't talk about it right now," he said as he got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom. I fell back on the bed and heard the shower turn on. I knew he wasn't going to be happy, but when he would have a bad streak in the past, he would always want to spend time with me. It was almost as if he felt I was going to make him better. I wasn't used to him closing himself off and it was scaring me.

After a while, the water turned off, but Jace didn't emerge from the bathroom. Feeling like I wasn't going to get him to open up, I left the bedroom and sat on the couch in the living room, dinner completely forgotten. I turned the TV on and welcomed the distraction. I found myself drifting off without being able to stop it. I still wanted to see if Jace would talk to me, but the heaviness of my eyes was too much to fight.

"Clary, wake up," I was awoken by the most beautiful man I had ever seen. "It's time to go to bed."

I couldn't form words and could barely stand on my own two feet. I was exhausted and when I was halfway down the hall, my legs gave out from under me. Jace caught me before I hit the ground.

"Whoa, are you okay," he asked looking into my eyes and rushing to the bedroom to set me on the bed. Once I was in the safety of my bed, I braved and looked at him. He looked less damaged than he did when he came through the door earlier, but I could still see it in his eyes. The doubt and worry that he had suddenly lost is touch.

"I don't like when you don't talk to me," I finally said and his face fell. He moved closer to the bed and reached for me, but I put up a hand to stop him. "I understand that you had a bad week, trust me, I watched every single game and post-game show and I don't try to say that I understand why, but you have never not wanted to talk to me. As much as you're hurting right now, I am too."

He stood in front of me staring for a moment before I nodded giving him permission to speak. "I'm sorry," he said and hung his head. "I've never felt like this before. I was suddenly being judged for every at bat and play. This is a whole new level. In college, I didn't have a bunch of reporters who think they know what they're talking about dissecting every move I make. I guess I'm not used to the criticism yet."

"Then you need to tell me these things. You can't just shut me out and expect me to just let it go because I won't. I'm not going to let you doubt yourself for one second because I know how good of a player you are. I've watched you work toward this goal for three years and I know you worked for ten years before that. You are living your dream. This is all still very new to both of us, so don't let a couple of bad games determine the rest of your career. Let them encourage you to refocus. Let them light a fire inside of you that the world hasn't seen yet. Let this help you lead your team to a World Series championship."

Sometime during my speech, he had moved onto the bed and was now holding me in his arms. I could feel the tension release from his body with each passing moment. "I'm sorry. You're right. I don't know why I didn't look to you for strength. You've always been my pillar to stand on after a bad game. Maybe it was because you weren't there directly after the game and I had time to get inside my own head, but I won't let that happen again. I'll call you right after a bad game or something so I don't psych myself out."

I tipped my head up to place my lips on his forehead and laid back on the bed. Jace followed me and pulled me close.

"You're going to be okay, Jace. I believe in you and your dreams. I'm here to support you. Just tell me when something is bothering you."

He nodded and got lost in thought for a few minutes. I felt myself drifting back into a deep sleep when his voice brought me back. "What was that in the hall? You almost collapsed."

I had totally forgotten about that. I shrugged and said, "I don't know. Maybe I was just tired."

"Well, it really scared me. Maybe you should go see a doctor."

"Jace, I'm fine. If I start to feel sick, I'll go see a doctor, but I'll be fine. Now go to sleep, I'm exhausted and emotionally drained."

He chuckled and kissed the top of my head, pulling me tighter into his chest. "Goodnight, baby. I love you."

"I love you, too, Jace Lightwood."

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**_A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Again, I'm so sorry it took this long for an update. I promise it won't take this long for the next one. Until then, let me know what you think in a review! :)_**


	6. Chapter 6

I rolled over the next morning to find the other side of the bed empty. With another roll, I noticed that the sliding glass door leading to our balcony was open. I could see the outline of Jace through the flowing curtains. Putting my robe on, I went into the kitchen to get Jace and myself some coffee. Isabelle was sitting at the island drinking coffee and working on her laptop.

"Hey," Izzy said looking up from her work. "How was he last night?"

"He was fine eventually," I told her as I poured two cups of coffee. "He's out on the balcony now. How was your night?"

"It was fine." She was trying to hold back her smile. "Clary, I don't know what to do. This guy is so amazing, but I'm not the serious relationship type of person and I can tell that's what he's looking for. What should I do?"

"Honestly, I can tell that you really like him and you should just go with it. You might find that you want an actual relationship with him and would that really be all that bad?"

"No, I guess not. I just don't want to get hurt."

"I have a feeling you won't be the one getting hurt in this situation. He obviously really likes you so just give him a chance."

I didn't give her a chance to respond as I turned to find Jace. He was sitting on a chair on the balcony where I had left him. If he noticed me come out onto the balcony, he didn't say anything. I stood in front of him and handed him his coffee. Instead of taking the coffee from me, he extended his arms for me to sit on his lap. His arms went around my waist and his face in my hair.

"What's on your mind, Jace?"

"Nothing, I'm just glad I have today off so I can spend the day with you."

"Do you want to go see where I want to get married?" He turned to look at my face.

"You found a place?"

"Yes, and it's absolutely beautiful. It's about two hours away so if you want to go, we better head on out."

Ten minutes later, we were on the road headed toward the place I wanted to marry Jace. Rolling hills and fields surrounded us when we left the city. I had always lived no more than ten minutes away from a city, but after seeing the town we were going to get married in with it's vineyards and orchards and general small town feel, I could see myself settling down in a place like it.

Jace brought me out of my deep thought.

"How would you feel about coming on my next road trip with me," Jace asked.

"I would love to," I said turning to face him. "But, it wouldn't be like we could spend a lot of time together. I would basically be stuck in a hotel room all day, go watch your game and then most likely be asleep before you get back to the hotel room. I'm not saying I don't want to go to a few of your away games, but I don't think I need to go on all your road trips." He reached over to take my hand in his and entwine our fingers. "Why, what's wrong?"

"It's just that I feel like I play better when you're there," he said. "In those games, I looked up into the crowd expecting you to be there and you weren't and it kind of freaked me out."

"Babe, you've never had a problem with me not being at games before."

"I know, which is why I don't know why it freaked me out so much. I just want to share every moment of my life with you."

"Honey, you're going to be just fine. I will go to some of the games for you and I will definitely watch the ones I'm not at on TV. It's only been a week and you have a lot of room to grow. Don't stop believing in yourself. Once you stop believing in yourself it' all over. I will always believe in you, just remember that."

"You amaze me." I leaned across the center console to kiss his cheek. He turned and smiled at me. The gleam in his eye returned. "Let's not talk about baseball anymore. Tell me about this place you want to get married."

"It's beautiful. It's this small town that's surrounded by vineyards and orchards. A lot of the vineyards have opened their grounds to have weddings and the vineyard I chose has this old house that we can use to get ready. There's a gazebo where we can hold the ceremony and they've transformed the barn to hold the receptions. There's a raised dance floor in the barn. I think you're really going to love it."

"Sounds good to me. When are you thinking you want to get married?"

"Well, I really want to get married in the summer so we can have the ceremony outside, but I know how difficult that is with your schedule. I was thinking that we could get married during the all-star break in July."

"That's only two months away."

"I know and if you think that's too soon, we can wait until next year. I just thought you might want to get married as soon as possible."

"No, I definitely do, but I feel bad putting all this wedding stuff on your shoulders."

"Don't feel bad. I'm happy to do it. You just go live your dream and play the game you love. Just make sure you show up on the day and I'll be happy."

"Okay, then we're getting married in two months." He turned to me, smiled and brought my hand to his lips to kiss it. I scooted closer to him to lean my head on his shoulder and began to drift off.

I woke up to Jace pulling me from the car. "You know I can walk, right? I have legs and look, the even work," I said swinging my legs in his arms. He chuckled and kissed my temple.

"I know," he said before setting me back on my feet. "So let's go check this place out."

I led him first to the gazebo where the ceremony would be held. We walked up the steps and I saw Jace inspecting the surroundings. "So, we can cover the arch in flowers and I want to hang crystals with the flowers so they can catch the light from the setting sun." I turned out to face where the guests would sit. "And the rows can be lined with the flowers and we can have little buckets of flower petals at each seat for the guests to throw when we walk back down the aisle."

Jace still hadn't said a word about where we were standing. I was still facing away from him explaining every thought that came to mind when I was suddenly pulled against him. He smiled down at me with all the love I could usually see in his eyes. "It's beautiful," he leaned down to kiss me. "I can't wait to marry you in this spot with all our friends and family watching."

I let out a breath of relief. Jace liked the vineyard and everything that came with it. His jaw dropped when he saw the barn and I explained how it would be decorated with flowers and crystals to match the gazebo. We quickly decided on a DJ rather than a band because we both agreed it would be more fun to be able to request songs and hear the original versions. After we met with the event coordinator, Kaelie, and set our date, we decided to go to a restaurant she suggested for dinner. She told us the restaurant started as a bed and breakfast and had expanded within the last ten years. We could book a hotel room for our wedding night instead of making the two-hour drive back into the city.

The restaurant was one of the coolest restaurants I had ever been to. It was originally a house and the owners kept the original structure, adding a commercial kitchen and formal dining room. What was once the living room, was now a lounge and bar area with a fireplace and piano. There were still three original rooms from the inn upstairs that still had the antique design.

While we waited for our food to arrive, Jace couldn't take his eyes off of me. I don't know if it was seeing where we were going to get married or if he had just missed me that much while he was away, but I could tell there was something on his mind.

"You look beautiful today," he said taking my hand across the table.

"Thanks, babe," I said with a smile. "I'm so glad you liked the vineyard. I just thought it was so beautiful and I love this town. I thought it would give us some privacy and it's small enough that we don't have to make a big deal about the wedding." He nodded. "Speaking of the size of the wedding, I wanted to talk to you about the guest list."

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Well, I know your family and my family will obviously be there. I already asked Izzy to be my maid of honor and I'm assuming Alec will be your best man." He nodded and I continued. "I don't really have anyone else I want to be up there with me, so I figured we could just keep the wedding party down to those two, but I want Max to be a part of the wedding party."

"I was thinking about that, too. I think he's too old to be a ring bearer, so maybe he could be a junior groomsman or something and he and Alec can both walk Izzy down the aisle."

"That sounds perfect. Luke is going to give me away. I don't think I would want it any other way. There's no doubt in my mind that he's my dad, even without the blood connection."

"Have you talked to your mom lately?"

"Yes, I talked to her the other day. She's still mad, but she'll come around. I know she's not going to be happy about us getting married in two months, but she's just going to have to deal with it."

Our food arrived before he could say anything else. "I really wish your mom liked me more. I know she doesn't hate me, but I feel like maybe she's threatened by me. She was your sole provider for sixteen years, until she married Luke and now I'm stepping into that role. I just hope she realizes that I'm in this forever. There is no one else I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. I'm not going to hurt you and I know that she's worried about that, but for God's sake, we've been together for three years. If I had any doubts about this relationship, I would've said something by now."

I could tell there was more on his mind, but I didn't pry. "I think you're right. She's threatened by you. I'm her little girl and it scares her that I might need someone other than her. I'm in this forever, too babe. Nothing is going to stop me from spending the rest of my life with you and having a family with you. You have nothing to worry about." His thumb moved across my fingers, rubbing small circles into my skin. "Back to the guest list, who else do you want to invite?"

"I want to invite a few guys from the team."

"Okay, that's totally fine. Who?"

"Well, Simon, first of all."

"I think that was a given. If we didn't invite him, Izzy would bring him as her plus one anyways." Jace gave me a quizzical look. "Don't worry, your sister can handle him. I'm actually more worried about him than your sister."

"Okay then, I honestly want to invite them all, but I feel like that's too many people along with my coach from school and the guys from the USD team."

"How about you invite the really important people to the ceremony and the rest of them just to the reception. I agree that they should all be a part of this because you guys are all so important to each other."

"That sounds good. I'll figure out who gets the ceremony invite later. It's getting late, we should probably head back to the city. I have to be up early for practice tomorrow."

With that he left enough money on the table to cover our bill and tip and led me to the car where we spent the next two hours in comfortable silence with Jace constantly holding my hand looking for contact.

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**_Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the story. Let me know what you think! :)_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or any of it's characters.**


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm never going to find a dress," I yelled from the bathroom of the hotel room Jace and I were staying in, in Los Angeles. I had been researching dresses and trying to find a style I liked for weeks and had come up with nothing. I knew I just needed to go try on dresses to actually find a dress, but I felt like it was the least important part of the wedding at the moment. In exactly once month, I would be walking down an aisle lined with lilies and mason jars filled with sand and candles. What I would be walking down the aisle in had yet to be determined. "Can't I just wear yoga pants and a white shirt and call it good?"

Jace came to stand in the doorway and watch me. "I wouldn't care if you got married wearing a burlap sack, but you would," Jace said with a smirk. "Come on, your mom and Izzy are going to take you shopping. You're going to find a dress that makes you feel beautiful and I'm going to love it no matter what. Stop worrying so much."

"Do you realize how ridiculous it is to be looking for a wedding dress a month before the wedding?" I started pacing the bathroom floor. "How could I have let this be the last thing I thought of? I have everything else planned down to the exact placement of each and every flower on the gazebo, but I couldn't take an afternoon three weeks ago to find a dress? What the hell was I thinking?"

"Babe, you're freaking out again." Jace wrapped his arms around me to stop my pacing.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I shouldn't have let you do this by yourself. I should be helping you make decisions, but we haven't even seen each other in a week. I'm sorry you have to do this on your own, but I love you so much more for it."

I knew he was right, but the past few weeks had been so stressful. Jace had only been home ten out of twenty-one days and it was becoming harder than I thought it was going to be for him to be away so much. I hadn't told him, but there were a few nights where I cried when he wasn't holding me while I fell asleep. When Jace was drafted, I knew things would change. Baseball was going to be his life for nine months out of the year and I was going to have to learn to be second in his life. In school, the season was only three months and sure, he had practice and training most of the year, but he was still home for dinner every night. I felt like I was starting our lives together by myself sometimes and I wasn't sure how I was going to handle this for the rest of his career. At the end of the day, it didn't matter because I loved him and truly wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

"I'm scared," I whispered into his chest as he held me. His hold tightened and his breath caught.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I'm afraid that I can't handle you not being with me all the time. I know I'm supposed to be strong and be able to take care of things while you're gone, but it's been really hard these past few weeks and when I wanted to be in your arms when I fell asleep, you weren't there." I was holding back tears waiting for his reaction.

"Clary, why didn't you say something?"

"Because you are living your dream, Jace. What would you have done if I had said something and I wanted you to stop playing baseball, which I don't? You would have chosen baseball. I used to be number one in your life, but I've been replaced by baseball. I love that you love baseball so much and that you have dreams, but I never thought I would be giving up my dreams for you to live yours."

"I never asked you to give anything up. I asked you to marry me and move with me, that wasn't asking you to never touch a brush or canvas again. That was asking you to live my dream with me. Don't act like I forced you to move."

"I'm not saying you did, but I haven't even looked at my sketch book in months. I used to watch you practice and draw. We would do what we loved side by side. I really want to be strong right now and say that we'll get through this, but I'm not so sure at the moment. What is it going to be like when we have kids? Are you only going to be around every once in a while? What if I go into labor during a game? Will you leave a game to come to the hospital with me?"

"Clary, that's ridiculous. Of course, I would be with you when you gave birth. I can't believe you would think that a stupid baseball game is more important than you or our child."

"Oh, so now it's a stupid baseball game?"

"Yes, because nothing is more important than you. I've tried to tell you that, but you've obviously forgotten that. I don't want baseball without you. I don't even remember a time when I wasn't playing for you. I love the game, of course, but when I swing the bat and make contact, I know that you are cheering me on. I love watching your face light up when I catch an impossible fly to center field. I love baseball, but I love you more."

Somehow we had ended up at opposite ends of the hotel room. I was almost pushed up against the window like I couldn't find enough space to put between us. What was I doing? I didn't want to put more space between us. I wanted to be finding a way to make the distance go away. Silence filled the air, replacing the tense energy that had occupied it. A few moments passed before I felt myself crossing the room. I climbed over the bed, rather than go around so I could get to Jace faster. I jumped into his arms and held on for dear life. He held me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and my hands traveled up to burry themselves in his hair.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. One minute I'm feeling fine and excited about our lives and the next I'm crying worried that I can't handle this life. I know you love me and I don't doubt that you will be an amazing father someday. Forgive me?"

"Of course, baby. This is still new and we're still getting used to it. You have every right to be freaked out right now. I'm sorry I just threw you into this without thinking about exactly how much this is affecting you. I want you to be everything you want to be. If that means being an artist, I'll buy you a studio. If you want to open a gallery, I'll help you. Figure out what you really want to do and I'll help you make it happen."

"Why are you so good to me?"

"Because I love you and I don't even want to imagine a life without you."

"I love you." He smiled and pulled away slightly, but not enough to set me down. "Do you think we're crazy? Do you think we're rushing into too much?"

"Honestly, I do. I think we're crazy, but I think we're crazy enough to make it work."

"You're right. Everything is going to work out. We're going to get married in a month and live the rest of our lives together. You'll play baseball. I'll do something with art. Maybe I'll go back to school. I don't know. All that matters right now is the fact that I will meet you at a gazebo in a month and become your wife."

"You might need to find a dress first." He laughed and put me down.

"Ugh, I almost forgot about that." I rested my forehead against his chest. "I wish you could go with me. I honestly wouldn't even care if you saw me in my dress."

"I know, babe, but I have to head to the stadium and I kind of want to keep that one part of our relationship traditional. I want my breath to be taken away when I see how amazingly beautiful you look walking to me."

"Fine. How do you always know the right thing to say?"

"What can I say? It's a gift."

A knock came at the door. Jace swiped at my tear stained face with his thumb and I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. I answered the door to a frustrated Isabelle.

"Where have you been," she asked in a huff. "I've been calling you for half an hour. Your mom and I have been waiting downstairs for forever. Why aren't you ready? This was your idea, may I remind you?"

"Calm down, Isabelle," I said waving her off. "I'll be ready in a few minutes. Go back downstairs and wait with my mom."

She turned to face Jace. "I don't appreciate you keeping her while we have important things to do."

"Why do you automatically assume it's my fault she isn't ready," he asked defensively. "I know that she needs to find a dress and that she should have been downstairs long ago, but we had something important to discuss."

"You're pregnant," she yelled pointing to me in the bathroom. My heart stopped and I froze. I couldn't actually be pregnant. For as long as I've known Isabelle, it's just been a little joke to lighten any intense mood to accuse me of being pregnant. However, I looked back on the past few weeks to my unexplainable mood swings and I couldn't rule it out. I turned back toward the bedroom and scoffed like I normally did at her accusations.

"No, Isabelle, I'm not pregnant," I couldn't look Jace in the eye. Of course, I wanted a child in the future, like five years in the future. I was only twenty-one and Jace had just turned twenty-two. There were a lot of changes to our lives that year and I didn't know how we could handle a child being thrown into the mix. I stopped in front of Jace and reached up to kiss him. "I'll see you after the game. Look for me in the stands. I'll be the one who's in love with you."

"Well, that really could be anyone," he said flippantly and I smacked him on the arm. He chuckled and said, "I'll be the one only looking for you. I love you, now go find a dress."

I walked out of the hotel room with Isabelle. As we made our way to the lobby, I made a plan. I would go a drugstore after we were done dress shopping and buy a pregnancy test. I would take it before I went to the stadium. By the end of the night, I would know if our lives were going to change…again.

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**_A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think! :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

Three minutes. These next three minutes would determine the rest of my life. In that moment, I couldn't think about the perfect dress I found or what I was going to wear to the game that night. All I could think about was the little life that was half me and half Jace that could be growing inside me right now. The timer on my phone went of at the same moment the phone in the bedroom rang to tell me the car was waiting downstairs to take me to the stadium. As much as I wanted to know what the test said, I ignored it and got dressed to go to the game.

The fifteen-minute ride to the stadium was spent in silence. Isabelle was going to meet me at the stadium and watch the game with me. I assumed she would go home with Simon so I could spend time alone with Jace. I was starting to regret not looking at the test, but then I realized that I wanted Jace beside me when I found out if we were going to be parents or not.

I walked up to the will-call window at the stadium and picked up our tickets.

"Hey, girly," Izzy said from behind me.

"Hey, are you excited to see your man play," I asked teasingly.

"Oh, shut up. You've been like this for three years and you don't see me making fun of you."

"I know, but in all the time I've known you, you haven't had an actual boyfriend and I honestly think Simon could be the one to tame you."

"You make me sound like a wild mustang." We laughed as we entered the stadium with linked arms. Once we found our seats, I greeted the few wives who came to the game.

I could barely focus on the game. Ever since his loosing streak earlier in the month, Jace had been playing better. The analysts had all but stopped criticizing his game. I saw him look up to me during each at bat and I gave him a reassuring smile. I smiled and waved when he looked for me. I made sure he couldn't tell if anything was wrong.

After the game, Isabelle and I were guided through a series of tunnels under the stadium to meet Jace outside the locker room. Jace met me with a smile and a kiss.

"You did an amazing job. I'm so proud of you." It was my general greeting after a game and I really did mean it. Jace rested his arm on my shoulder as he led me from the stadium.

"Where's my sister," he asked looking around the tunnel.

"She's hanging out with Simon," I told him as I rested my hand on his chest. "Let her go, Jace. She will be fine. At some point you're going to have to let her grow up. She's not your twelve-year old sister anymore. She's a grown women who can make her own decisions."

"I know, I know. I just don't want her to grow up. She's still my little sister and I still have to protect her."

"You're a great person, Jace Lightwood."

"Thanks, babe."

We rode in silence until we got to the hotel. After Jace keyed into the room, he flopped onto the bed and I went into the bathroom.

"Jace," I yelled into the bedroom.

"Yes, dear," he said playfully while I sat on the edge of the bed next to him. I patted his thigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"I need to talk to you." He sat up with a worried look on his face.

"What is it, Clary?"

"There's something in the bathroom that I want to look at with you." His worried expression turned into a confused expression. "Earlier today, when Izzy accused me of being pregnant, I got to thinking about how my moods have been so weird lately and thought that it might be a possibility. So, after I found my dress, which is amazing, by the way, I went to a drugstore and bought a pregnancy test. I took it before the game, but I haven't looked at it yet."

"You're pregnant?"

"No, I think I might be pregnant. I haven't actually looked at the test to receive confirmation. Do you want to look at it with me?" He nodded without saying a word and stood from the bed with his hand clasped to mine like it was going to save his life. We walked into the bathroom and stared at the counter where the test was flipped over. "Whatever happens, I love you. On the count of three?"

He nodded his head again. "One."

"Two."

"Three," we said at the same time and I flipped the test over. I stared for a moment before I realized that it was negative. I wasn't pregnant. Jace wrapped his arms around me and I froze. Why was I upset for something I never had? It wasn't like I was trying to get pregnant, but for some reason I was sad because I wasn't. I felt a tear escape my eye and snapped me back to reality. I tried to push away from Jace but his hold tightened and I collapsed into him. I could feel his shirt dampen with my tears, but I didn't care anymore. Jace was consoling me and telling me we could try again, but that was ridiculous. We hadn't even been trying in the first place. I was upset over something I didn't have or necessarily want.

When I finally calmed down, I felt Jace lift me up and take me over to the bed. I curled into him to find the comfort only he could provide me.

"Clary, why are you so sad," Jace asked into the dark room. "I didn't even know you wanted to try to have a baby."

"I didn't. I mean I don't, but I thought about it all day today. When I was watching you play, I kept imagining you playing catch with our son in the backyard and it warmed my heart. Or I would see you trying to scare away teenage boys from our daughter and it all made me hope that I could give that to you one day. I started to get excited and used to the idea. I started falling in love with a child that didn't even exist."

"I'm sorry, babe. I'll be honest, for the few minutes I thought you were pregnant I was excited. I know it's weird for someone so young to want to start a family right away, but I do. I want to have a baby with you, Clary. I want to give you a family of your own, but I also want you to be ready. I want you to do whatever you decide to do with your art and school. I don't want you to put your dreams on hold anymore than you already have. If you decide that having a child right now is your dream then we'll have a baby, but you need to be sure."

"My biggest concern with my art was that I wasn't drawing or painting. I don't think I necessarily want to pursue a career, I just want to do something I'm passionate about on a daily basis, whether that's sketching or painting, I just want to get back into it."

"I think you should take the extra room in the apartment and turn it into your studio. We're not using it right now and you could spend your days in there doing what you love."

"Really?" He nodded seriously. "That would be nice. I've actually been meaning to talk to you about Izzy."

"What did she do?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. She's actually going to be moving out."

"How? She doesn't have a job and she's going to school full time."

I avoided making eye contact with him. This was definitely not how I wanted to bring this up and I hated that Isabelle was too afraid to talk to him herself. "Well, she figured we would want to have the apartment to ourselves after the wedding and Simon asked her to move in with him so she accepted his offer."

Jace's grip tightened on me and I felt him tense up. "She's only known him for six weeks. How does she think that moving in with him is a good idea?"

"She loves him, Jace." His frown turned into a scowl. "When did you know you loved me, Jace?" I was trying to make a point.

"That's different."

"Answer the question, Jace."

"The first time you came to watch me play and I saw you in the stands cheering for me."

"How long had we known each other?"

"Three weeks." He knew what I was doing and he didn't like it.

"We weren't even dating yet and your sister is dating Simon. She loves him and that's never happened for her before. It's time to let her be her own person and find love. Isabelle has always been the strongest and toughest person I know, but I've never seen her go weak in the knees around a guy."

"Ugh, I still don't like it, but if she wants to move out, I guess I can't stop her. She's twenty years old and I can't control her for the rest of her life."

"Look at you seeing reason." He laughed and dug his fingers into my side. "Jace! Jace, stop! You know I'm extremely ticklish." Jace rolled on top of me and pinned my arms down.

"Say you love me." I shook my head and sealed my lips. "Say you love me or the tickling starts again." I refused and his hands gripped my sides again.

"Okay! Okay, I love you."

"Good." He kissed the tip of my nose. "I love you, too. Now, about that whole baby thing."

"Jace, we don't have to have a baby right now. We're young and have the rest of our lives to worry about children."

"Well, I want to have a baby with you, so how about we wait until after the wedding to stop trying not to have a baby and when it happens, it happens. We don't have to try to have a baby, just not try to not have a baby, if that makes any sense."

"That makes sense to me." He kissed me once more before rolling onto his side and pulling me with him. "You played really well tonight. I really am so proud of you." I kissed his cheek and lingered for a moment before kissing his lips. A smile pulled at his lips.

Jace seemed to be lost in thought and just as I felt sleep start to take me under, his voice brought me back. "Do you think I'll be a good father?"

"I sat up so I could look him in the eye. "Of course, what makes you think any different?"

"I don't want to be like my father. I watched him walk out of my life and then I never saw him again."

"Jace, you are nothing like your father." I moved to sit on his lap and held his face in my hands. "I know that it has bothered you that you dad hasn't tried to contact you lately, but you are nothing like him. You have too much love in your heart to leave a child. No matter what happens, you will always be the one person in the world who I will give my child and life to. I wouldn't be marrying you if I thought any different"

"You're amazing." He reached to kiss me and I let him so he would know just how much I loved him. I wasn't going anywhere. I was going to stay right there in his arms for the rest of my life and probably even after that.

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**_A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think! :)_**


	9. Chapter 9

"So, you'll just repeat after me and follow my instructions. You put the ring on her finger. You put the ringer on his finger and bing, bang, boom, you're married," the minister told us as we stood at the gazebo the night before our wedding.

Jace had both of my hands in his and lightly squeezed when the minister stopped talking. He kissed me and led me back down the aisle and we were met by our wedding party and our parents.

"Okay, so we are going to head to the restaurant," Jace announced. "We'll see you there."

"Are you two going to actually show up this time," Alec joked referring to the night Jace was drafted and we never made it to his celebration dinner.

"Yes, smartass." We all laughed at Jace's expense.

I let go of Jace's hand to walk up to my mother. Luke had walked me down the aisle in rehearsal and when we got to my mom, she still wouldn't look at me. I was determined to mend our fences before I got married the next day.

"Hey, mom," I said pulling her into a hug. When she pulled away, her head was hanging in defeat. "Thank you, so much for coming. I know this is all happening really fast, but Jace and I really appreciate you being here."

"Of course, Clary," she said finally looking in my eyes. "I would never miss something this important. No matter what you think, you are still my little girl."

"Mom, can we talk privately for a few minutes?" She nodded and I led her toward the house with a nod at Jace to tell him we would be out in a minute. We sat on the couch in the lavish living room in silence until I couldn't take it anymore. "Why don't you like Jace?"

"Why would you say that?"

"You've barely talked to me in three months. Ever since I told you I was moving and getting married, you've been so distant. I know Luke had to convince you to go dress shopping with me."

"Clary, it's not that I don't like Jace, I'm just worried about you. I was just about your age when I had you. I found out I was pregnant and married a man I didn't necessarily see myself with the rest of my life. He left us, Clary. I was broken for so long and never realized that Luke was always the person I was meant to be with. You're so young and I know what it feels like to be young and in love, but I can't help but be worried that you're going to get hurt."

"Jace isn't Valentine, Mom. I know we're young, but I have never felt like this about anyone else. When I'm with Jace, I feel like I can do anything. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that he chose me to love. Jace is the most amazing person I've ever met and I just wish you could see that."

"I do see that. I can see in the way he looks at you that he loves you. I can see the way you are with each other and know deep down in my heart that you will be the lucky ones who make it."

"Then why have you been so distant?"

"Because he took you away from me. You have always depended on me and now you don't."

Jace had been right the entire time. He knew that my mom resented him for taking me to San Francisco.

"I may have moved, but he didn't take me away from you. I will always be your daughter and I will always need you. There are just some things that I need to talk to my mom about." I pulled her into my arms when I saw a tear run down her face. "I love you, mom."

"I love you, too, sweetie."

We went back outside to meet Jace and Luke. They both looked nervous, obviously worried that our talk didn't go as well as they hoped. I gave Jace a shy smile as he pulled me against him and kissed me. He looked over my head to look at my mother and I saw their eyes meet in understanding.

"I take it everything went well," Jace asked as we got in the car. I reached for his hand across the console and smiled.

"Everything should be back to normal now," I said feeling content. "She doesn't hate you, by the way." A smile cracked across his face. "I mean, who could really hate this face?"

I rose up to lean across the center console and pressed my lips against his cheek. I moved from his cheek to the corner of his mouth, finally meeting his lips. A sound escaped his lips as he tried to pull away.

"Clary, I'm driving. Stop distracting me." He laughed as I placed kisses along his neck and jaw.

"I'm not distracting you."

"Um, yes you are. Now get back in your seat and put your seat belt on. We really need to get to the restaurant."

"You're no fun," I said as I slumped back into my seat and did as he told me. He placed his hand on my thigh and I covered it with my own. "Are you nervous for tomorrow? I hope you're not getting cold feet."

"Me? Nervous? Never." I gave him a skeptical look. "Okay, fine. I'm freaking terrified. What if I forget to give Alec the rings? What if I fall on the dance floor? What if I start to cry and can't get my vows out?"

"Oh my God, you're so cute. You'll be fine. Alec will ask you for the rings tomorrow. If you fall on the floor, I'll catch you and if you cry, I'll just fall even more in love with you. Do you really think I'm not going to be crying my eyes out tomorrow? No, I'll be balling like a baby."

"This is true. In all honesty, I can't wait for you to be my wife."

"And I can't wait for you to be my husband."

"Are you sure you're okay without a honeymoon, I mean, I have to be back in San Francisco the day after the wedding for a game."

"Yes, Jace. It's fine. I knew when we set the date that we would have to wait a while to get away. We'll just have to take a trip after the season is over. None of that matters to me."

"You're all that matters to me." I leaned over once more to plant a kiss on his cheek. We rode the rest of the way in comfortable silence. When we pulled up to the restaurant, Max came running toward us.

"Max, what are you doing," Jace asked before Max ran to the other side of the car to see me. He held out a small box with a bow on it.

"I wanted to give this to Clary," he said matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, Max," I said as I took the box from his small hands. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but I wanted you to have this." I opened the box to reveal a leather chord with a small pendant with the Lightwood family crest.

"Max, this is beautiful." I smiled down at him as I pulled him into my arms. I looked up to see Jace with a tear in his eye as he looked onto his brother and I.

"Jace gave me this before he left for college. He got it when my parents adopted him and he told me that if I was ever feeling sad or missing him, to remember that he loves me and he'll be home soon. He gave me that necklace to remind me of that. I wanted you to have it because I know that you miss Jace when he is away and you're going to be a Lightwood now too." I couldn't hold back the tears that were falling and pulled Max tighter against my chest. "I love you, Clary."

"I love you, too, Max." Jace came up behind us and wrapped his arms around both of us. As we stood, I took the necklace and placed it around my neck. I admired the pendant and the reality of tomorrow sunk in. I was going to be Mrs. Jace Lightwood and I would be gaining two brothers and a sister. At that moment, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted this more than anything.

Jace wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him as we walked into the restaurant. He planted a kiss on my temple and I smiled wiping my tears away. Max held my hand as we entered the dining room.

"I love you," Jace whispered into my hair.

"I love you, too. Forever," I said looking up into his golden eyes. Jace took his seat at the head of the table and I sat next to him with Izzy on my other side. Max sat across from me, next to Jace and Alec was next to Max.

Throughout the meal, I kept stealing glances at Jace and every time I did, he was looking right back at me. He placed his hand on my knee under the table. When we were done eating, Alec stood to give a toast.

"There is a lot that I could say about Jace and Clary right now," he began. "But I'm going to save the really embarrassing stuff for tomorrow." Jace punched him in the side and we laughed. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys that I love you both and thank you for allowing me to be apart of this."

I stood to hug Alec and Jace slapped him on his back in thanks. After dinner, Jace and I exited the restaurant hand in hand. He stopped short of the car knowing he was going to a completely different hotel. Jace pulled me into his arms and kissed me gently looking into my eyes.

"I'm going to miss you," he said.

"Me too," I replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure you don't want to come to my hotel with me?"

"I'm sorry, babe, but you're just going to have to sleep without me tonight." I kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, you'll get to sleep with me every night for the rest of your life."

"That's right. You're stuck with me."

"Okay, that's just fine with me. Have you seen yourself? You're an awfully attractive person to be stuck with."

"You are definitely right about that." He smiled and smashed his lips to mine once more. My arms came around his neck and my fingers found his hair. He pulled me flush against him and my feet came off the ground.

"Alright, alright, alright, that's enough," Izzy called from behind us. "Jace, please disconnect yourself from my best friend because tonight you two can not be near each other. Don't think I don't know you're going to try to sneak off and see each other."

"Isabelle, take Clary to your room," Alec said from beside her. "I'll get the lovesick puppy to his room and make sure he doesn't get out."

I turned back to Jace and kissed his lips lingering a second longer than normal. "I'll see you tomorrow," I said looking into his beautiful eyes. "I'll be the one in white."

"And I'll be the one waiting for you at the end of the aisle. I love you."

"I love you, too." Izzy pulled me away from Jace and he held onto my hand until the last second.

Isabelle and I were sitting on the bed in our hotel room painting our nails for the next day. "You're so lucky, Clary," she said as she was blowing on her nails. "Jace loves you so much and I'm not kidding when I say that you changed him. You know better than anyone that Jace has always put baseball first and you may still feel like he does, but you're wrong. Before he met you, you couldn't get him off a field at night for practice, but after that day in class, he couldn't wait to get home to you. He loves baseball, but you are the love of his life."

"Wow, Iz. Thank you so much. It really means a lot coming from you."

"You're my best friend and I can't wait for you to be my sister."

We hugged and laughed through our tears. When we pulled apart, Isabelle went to her bag and pulled out _The Notebook_. We lost ourselves in our favorite movie and cried when necessary. As I was drifting off, I couldn't help but think of my wonderful fiancé and how much I loved him. I knew my life had changed so much in the past six months, but I wouldn't have changed any of it because it had all led to that moment. I was twenty-four hours away from marrying the man of my dreams and beginning our lives together.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! Get ready for the wedding in the next chapter and then it's back to the baseball field! Let me know what you think! :)**


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